Wolds Diary: All creatures great and small during a week full of songs

On Sunday morning I went to the car boot sale run by the local Lions in Pocklington. I found some rather nice items, including a rather pleasing little prayer mat, I think probably Moroccan, which I got at a reasonable price. I use them to cover the tops of bits of furniture to prevent scratching and to allow the cats to sleep on.

I’d intended to go to church but on getting home I sat down with a cup of tea and woke up a couple of hours later! I then took the dogs for a short walk and had an evening in.

The next day I called in to a friend to see if she wanted to come with me to a nursery where I needed some compost to replant some of my cacti.

We ended up going into York where she picked up some items from a clothing retailer and on the way back collected some boxes from her son, who has just qualified with a First and needs to vacate his student accommodation.

As we left the heavens opened with a violent downpour and I decided it might be prudent to wait until the visibility was clear, so I popped into my favourite feed merchants and got, amongst other things, a toy for the dogs that is allegedly indestructible. My friend jokingly asked if I would time how long it took for it to be totally annihilated. So far, despite the efforts of three of the dogs, it has remained whole, but I am not holding my breath.

That evening I went to choir practice, which was in the main part of the church, as our concert was looming. We arranged seating and I inadvertently dropped my phone, which was of course switched off. After singing practice a group of us headed to the pub and it wasn’t until I arrived home that I realised my phone was missing.

I was at the church and the pub first thing next morning and even cleaned out my car. I was beginning to panic by lunch time and got the number stopped by my network provider and even rang to report the loss to the police. Then I got a message, someone from the choir had picked it up and was going to bring it to me that evening. This meant that a visit to a phone shop in York was required and my young lodger, who is ever so clever at modern technology, came with me. I got my number reinstated and as my other phone was almost ‘out of the ark’, I even purchased a new, all-singing, all-dancing smart phone that has totally perplexed me since.

My lodger kindly trimmed the hedge in my garden. The trimmings from just the exterior of it filled my green waste bin. He made a super job of it and then put up some insect houses for me. There is a myriad of bees around my garden, which I welcome.

Thursday was pretty hot. I took the dogs up on one of our regular walks and as I was feeling pretty energetic we went a lot further than usual. Four of them wallowed in a shallow pond getting delightfully grubby but Looroll, who doesn’t do water, was rather hot by the time we got back to the car.

On the walk I was both surprised and delighted to spot a Redstart, I think a male, by one of the hedgerows. Another delight was an area of wild morning glory, (convolvulus arvensis) which although a weed has always been a favourite of mine. Its small pink and white flowers are so pretty.

On Thursday I went back to York, this time to get some photographs enlarged and printed on canvasses. We had another rehearsal that evening.

During the days I have been arduously attacking bits of the garden I was rather surprised to find a moth, I believed to be a Straw Underwing, in my garden. I have occasionally seen them on the fields in the Wolds.

Friday was our concert and it went very well. It was a pleasure to sing such lovely music and there was a good audience. Afterwards some of us adjourned to a nearby pub, and even joined in the karaoke to much amusement.

The next morning I visited the fair at the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf establishment, where I purchased some lettuce plants, which, hopefully, will help towards my diet.